Biofuel Bunker Snapshot: Costly Feedstock Supports Rotterdam Bio-Bunker Prices

International Shipping News, 31/08/2026 — By Nachiket Tekawade, ENGINE ()

ARA

Rotterdam's B30-VLSFO (POMEME) price has risen by $27/mt over the past week, even as the Dutch port's conventional VLSFO price fell by $21/mt. B30 blends combine 30% biofuel with 70% conventional marine fuel, allowing shipowners to cut emissions without modifying engines, and they have become the most widely sold marine biofuel product in major bunker hubs.

Prima Markets has assessed ARA POMEME and UCOME barge prices up $55/mt over the last week, to $1,880/mt and $1,810/mt respectively. This may have helped counter the downward pressure coming from the conventional VLSFO price. POMEME is derived from used cooking oil, while UCOME is a waste-based fatty acid methyl ester, and both qualify as advanced biofuels under EU rules — a key reason their feedstock costs can move independently of oil prices.

The port's pure B100 bunker price recorded a $63/mt increase over the week.

Meanwhile, Rotterdam's B30-LSMGO blend has dropped $11/mt in the past week, despite a $39/mt rise in the port's LSMGO price.

Low-carbon advanced biofuel bunker sales, such as POMEME-blends, can generate ZRE A tickets that hold value. This helps considerably lower the price of biofuel bunkering in the Netherlands. The price of these tickets has been assessed at €135-149/mt ($157-173/mt) this week.

Mediterranean

Gibraltar's B30-VLSFO price has slumped by $118/mt, far exceeding a modest $16/mt decline in the port's conventional VLSFO price. This has narrowed Gibraltar's B30-VLSFO premium over VLSFO by $102/mt in a single week. The premium that biofuel blends command over conventional fuel reflects the biofuel component's cost, so shifts in this spread are watched as a signal of how expensive decarbonisation through biofuels has become for shipowners at each port.

In Portugal's Aveiro, B100 has been priced at $1,780/mt this week, and B30-LSMGO at $1,451/mt.

Singapore

Singapore's B30-VLSFO (UCOME) price has dropped $24/mt in the past week, while the port's conventional VLSFO price has fallen by a steeper $51/mt.

Over the past month, Singapore's B30-VLSFO price has increased by $30/mt, while its conventional VLSFO price has risen by $10/mt. Consequently, Singapore's B30-VLSFO premium over VLSFO has widened by $65/mt to $231/mt.

The Prima Markets-assessed China UCOME cargo price, which is known to influence bunkering prices in Singapore, has edged $5/mt higher to $1,190/mt in the last week.

Other Biofuel Bunker News

The Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) has said it wants emission targets determined by what the bunker market can actually supply, ahead of IMO talks on 1 September.

Australia has laid out a plan to grow demand and supply for low- and zero-emission bunker fuels and expand bunker infrastructure, as it looks to align its shipping sector with the IMO's 2050 net-zero ambition. Together with the upcoming IMO talks, these developments frame the policy backdrop against which biofuel bunker demand — and the premiums tracked in this snapshot — are evolving.